São Paulo, 30, June 2021 - Tauil & Chequer in association with Mayer Brown has been recognized in Latin Lawyer’s 15th annual Deal of the Year Awards in the Disputes category. The firm received the award for its representation of Barra Energia in a lengthy UNCITRAL case administered by the London Court of International Arbitration.
The dispute centered around BS-4 Block - an oil exploration venture in the Santos basin off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. Barra Energia issued an exclusion notice demanding the exit of Dommo Energia from a joint operating agreement, which sparked numerous arbitral, judicial and regulatory proceedings. In Brazil alone, the dispute spanned three lawsuits, an arbitration and two administrative proceedings before the country’s oil and gas regulator. Outside of Brazil, the dispute played out in two arbitrations in France – spawning five set aside proceedings – and an additional lawsuit in the Netherlands. After more than three years, an arbitration tribunal upheld the withdrawal notice in a final award in 2020, marking the first time a tribunal enforced a forfeiture provision in a joint operating agreement under Brazilian law.
Partner Gustavo Fernandes along with partners Alexandre Chequer and Tiago Macedo led the team, which also included counsel Gustavo Scheffer, associates Guilherme Silveira, Leandro Duarte and Rodrigo Nikobin and assistant Juliana Vieira.
Latin Lawyer’s Deal of the Year Awards recognize general counsel and law firms advising on the most significant deals of the year across Latin America, selecting the winners from more than 600 nominations.
